
Muninder Adavelli
Updated · May 30, 2023
Deyan has been fascinated by technology his whole life. From the first Tetris game all the way to Fa... | See full bio
Нow much time does the average American spend on their phone?
To answer simply - a lot.
Let me guess. You’re reading this on your phone.
Gotcha.
The internet has become a massive part of our daily routine. Some can not do without it for a whole day. The continuous growth of smartphone devices across the world does not seem to be helping matters either. An increased number of people are now able to access the internet anywhere, anytime.
Here are some stats to keep you updated about how much time Americans are spending on their phones, and on what exactly.
Want to know more as to how much time the average American spends on their phone? Check out these amazing stats below:
You’re hungry for more of these stats right? Keep reading!
In today's world, mobile accounts for more than half of our internet time. What’s more, that trend is expected to increase even further.
(Source: Slick Text)
According to stats on how Americans spend time, heavy phone users interact with their mobile phones as much as 86 times in a day.
(Source: Oberlo)
Mobile phones are flexible, durable, and easy to use. To top it all, they can provide quick information to users, even while on the go. So it’s no surprise that around 52.4% of the global population access the internet via a mobile device.
(Source: ZD Net)
According to screen time stats for Americans, the average American spends a little above 5 hours daily on their mobile phones. Reports go further to tell us that the top 10% of heavy phone users have an average of 5,427 touches on their mobile phones daily.
The rate of smartphone ownership is on the rise, and it has been so over the last few years. Currently, nearly all households in America own a smartphone. Roughly everyone across all age groups is a smartphone owner.
(Source: Statista)
In a 2021 survey, researchers forecasted that smartphone ownership would keep rising steadily in the next few years. The latest American phone usage statistics confirm this by a long shot.
Did you know that the number of people who utilize gadgets will increase by about 37.43 million between 2018 and 2025, reaching 311 million?
(Source: Bank My Cell)
Like we mentioned earlier, smartphone penetration in the US economy is at a very high rate. However, it is also important to note that the level of smartphone penetration varies across different age groups. 100% of those between the ages of 18- 29 in America are owners of mobile phones. 94% of those happen to be owners of smartphones.
(Source: Bank My Cell)
According to reports, almost all college graduates in America currently own a smartphone device.
(Source: Bank My Cell)
Although a good chunk of baby boomers say that they prefer to access the internet using personal computers, about 4 in 10 of them still own mobile devices, preferably tablets. This number is a significant increase when compared to what was reported in similar research conducted in 2013. At that time, only 13% of baby boomers owned a smartphone.
Mobile phones allow people to carry out a variety of activities on the go. People can now shop, sell, send, receive, and carry out all sorts of online transactions with just their mobile phones. Check out the stats that follow for more insights into how Americans are using their mobile phones:
(Source: Oberlo)
From millennials to Gen Xers, to baby boomers and the silent generation, research indicated that a substantial percentage go online daily.
(Source: Small Biz Trends)
Global time spent on the internet by an average user stands at 6 hours 31 minutes. That of an average US internet user is pegged a bit lower. The US stands amongst the countries with the highest amount of time spent online. Countries like the Philippines have a significantly higher internet time daily.
(Source: ZD Net)
Millennials and baby boomers constitute the highest percentage of mobile phone users who prefer to text. According to reports, millennials are likely to spend 48 minutes of each day texting and another 41 minutes chatting on their mobile phones.
(Source: ZD Net)
Mobile emailing is one area where the older generation stands out. This may be because a more significant percentage of baby boomers fall under the working class category. They have to deal with clients and business partners both near and afar. And as we know, email is the most preferred form of communication for business people.
(Source: ZDNet)
You might be curious as to how much time millennials spend on their phones.
Let us help - 5.7 hours a day.
This may seem like a significant amount of time for someone to spend using their mobile phones every day. However, research has shown that the younger generation is spending much more time on their mobile phones. Close to half of Gen Zs spend up to 10 hours online on their mobile phones daily.
(Source: ZD Net)
One would be convinced that millennials rank higher in terms of time spent on mobile phones daily. But you might be surprised to discover that baby boomers are not far behind, spending around 5 hours on their phones a day.
(Source: ZD Net)
A good number of baby boomers (5%) also reportedly spent more than 12 hours on their mobile phones daily.
(Source: eMarketer)
Facebook and Instagram are the two most used social platforms and are responsible for most of the time spent by Americans on social media. But more recently, TikTok has also been making waves, even surpassing Instagram as the most downloaded app.
Still, the average American spends 38 minutes on Facebook daily.
How much time does the average American spend on their phone? Is this time increasing?
Like it or not, screen time is on the rise in America. Mobile phones have become a massive part of that movement. The following screen time stats for Americans tell more:
(Source: CNN)
Yes, it’s a known fact that mobile devices consume more of our screen time, especially for teenagers and young adults. However, millennials and baby boomers still spend quality on-screen time watching TV.
(Source: CNN)
This includes time spent on smartphones, tablets, video games, personal computers, multimedia devices, TVs, radios, DVRs, and DVDs.
(Source: Forbes)
According to screen time stats for Americans, on-screen time is highest for American teenagers. More than 7 hours of those are spent on mobile phones.
The time spent on phone screens is increasing daily and not just in America. Globally, the world is also experiencing a shift towards mobile. Just take a look:
(Source: Data Reportal)
Sounds impressive, right? Keep reading then!
So as of 2022, the global population stands at about 7.96 billion. Of them, around 63% are internet users (roughly 5 billion people). Now watch this—the vast majority (92.4%) use their phone to access the Web at least some of the time. Moreover, mobile phones account for half of the world’s web traffic.
(Source: Slick Text)
iOS and Android are leading the smartphone usage parade. The convenience and ease of access to various social platforms and transactional purposes provided by smartphones with those OS will continue to ensure massive global adoption.
(Source: IT Web)
Despite smartphones owning the largest share of the mobile market, tablets are also going strong. Certain age groups like baby boomers prefer to use a tablet instead of a smartphone.
(Source: Statista)
The numbers are forecast to grow exponentially in the next couple of years. Around 7.7 billion subscriptions in 2026 mean the figure will have more than doubled compared to 2016.
Do you know that the US, China, and India have the highest number of smartphone users worldwide?
Well, now that we discovered how much time does the average American spend on their phone, let’s see how the rest of the world is doing.
People are spending more of their time online than they did 10 or 20 years ago. This has brought about a concomitant increase in time spent on the phone screen.
Do you know why?
Well, let's just say a lot of factors have contributed to that fact. For starters, the internet is faster, internet-connected devices are becoming numerous and advanced, people now have access to uninterrupted internet connection like never before, etc.
But what do people do, while online?
(Source: Oberlo)
Smartphone addiction statistics are fascinating and kinda scary at the same time. 91% of social network users access such media via their phones.
That’s a clear indication of the infinite opportunities before ecommerce and marketing specialists if nothing else.
(Source: Data Reportal)
Countries like the Philippines have a higher average internet time - 9 hours and 45 minutes daily. Others like Japan have reduced daily internet time of 4 hours, 22 minutes.
(Source: Data Reportal)
Countries like the Philippines also have an average daily social media time of about 4 hours - this is recognized as the highest social media time in the world. Others like Japan have the least daily social media time of about 45 minutes per day.
Screen time for both men and women differ globally. While men spend most of their screen time on business and entertainment, a majority of females spend their screen time on relationship matters, self-help, and entertainment. Read on to find out more about global screen time statistics demographics:
(Source: The Next Web)
As much as experts would like to link this huge disparity to the lack of a stable economy, research has shown that it is as much of a normative reason as it is economical. Social media in South Asia is perceived to be a corrupt medium. Also, it is believed that women are more susceptible to its corrupt ways than men. For that reason, the use of social media by women in South Asia is being curtailed.
(Source: Bank My Cell)
In America, men make use of smartphones more than women. However, women are not far off, as 75% of American women also use smartphones. Despite a more significant percentage of men having access to smartphones, women (78%) are more socially active than men (65%).
(Source: Business Today)
In comparison, 68% of surveyed households pointed out that women who are using mobile phones now didn’t just ten years ago.
A further 30% of the respondents don’t own any device, while 2% didn’t even share their views on the subject.
The massive adoption of smartphone devices has proved to be a shrewd move for all parties involved. However, it comes with a side effect.
Experts are beginning to show concern about how much time the average American spends on their phone, and the possible health issues that may result. Over time, sicknesses like obesity, depression, and anxiety have been known to be associated with excessively high screen time. In the stats that follow, a slight breakdown of smartphone addiction stats follows:
(Source: Statista)
So you like to know even more stats on how Americans spend time on their phones? We got you. The latest data reveals that by 2023, the average time allocated for social media will increase to 55 minutes. That’s six minutes more than 2020.
What’s more, the mobile media usage time is also set to increase, reaching 4 hours and 29 minutes in 2023.
(Source: Online King)
One of the major causes of smartphone addiction is the urge to respond to messages coming into their cell phones. The availability of fun-filled apps and games that can easily be downloaded for free across app stores is also another cause of addiction for teens. Parents should consider a parental control app to lower these stress levels.
(Source: Oberlo)
The latest smartphone addiction stats show that almost 70% of Americans shopping in-store would rather look at customer reviews on their mobile device than ask a store employee.
58% percent of in-store shoppers also look online for similar products to the ones they are thinking of buying.
These stats definitely indicate a smartphone addiction issue in the US.
(Source: Slick Text)
According to American phone usage statistics, of all the people addicted to their mobile phones around the world (teenagers and adults combined), more than half have tried limiting or restricting their mobile phone usage. A greater majority of them have been successful so far. If you are curious about smartphone addiction, these statistics can show you everything you need to know.
If the info about how much time does the average American spend on their phone has shocked you and you feel like you need to limit your screen time, here are some tips:
Turning off notifications for all apps will ensure that you avoid possible distractions. Especially when you are trying to do something important, like work or get some good night rest.
“Raise to Wake” is a feature that allows your phone to come up with just a little nudge on your phone screen. Due to the ease of activating this feature, you can sometimes find yourself unlocking your phone even when it is not needed. And so, you’re hindering your productivity at the moment.
This feature can save you lots of productive hours, especially at work. You could do well to place your phone on the “Do Not Disturb” mode. This will ensure that no social media messages enter your phone, limiting your phone usage to just calls and texts for the rest of your working hours.
And so.
How much time does the average American spend on their phone?
Americans spend roughly 5 hours a day on their phone.
Which is not really optimal. What’s more worrying is that this trend will surely continue.
Are you concerned about it? Or have you accepted mobile phones as a necessary evil?
Deyan Georgiev
Deyan has been fascinated by technology his whole life. From the first Tetris game all the way to Falcon Heavy. Working for TechJury is like a dream come true, combining both his passions – writing and technology. In his free time (which is pretty scarce, thanks to his three kids), Deyan enjoys traveling and exploring new places. Always with a few chargers and a couple of gadgets in the backpack. He makes mean dizzying Island Paradise cocktails too.
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